Nursing graduates at West Texas A&M University are passing national licensing exams with top scores.
The university's five-year, first-time pass rate for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is 96.75 percent, according to the Texas Board of Nursing. The national average is 85.15 percent; the average in Texas is 88.95 percent.
The stand-out pass rate is a result of WT's overall quality nursing programs, said Dr. Helen Reyes, head of the Department of Nursing in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
"Our primary reason for continually striving for excellence is so that we may best serve the future nurses and nurse practitioners who are the future of healthcare," she said. "We also want to serve the employers of our students by giving them the best possible nurses."
The NCLEX is a standardized test administered to all graduates of professional nursing programs in the United States and Canada seeking to become registered nurses. The Texas Board of Nursing requires that students achieve a pass-rate of 80 percent or above.
WT's pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing program (BSN) prepares and qualifies students to take the NCLEX and become a registered nurse. The BSN program is approved by the Texas Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
The University also offers nursing degrees for registered nurses seeking a baccalaureate degree, as well as nursing degrees at the master's and post-master's levels.
WT's nursing department has received state and national recognition for its quality program and value, including this year as the No. 1 top RN-to-BSN online by Great Value Colleges and as the No. 3 best registered nurse programs in Texas by RegisteredNursing.org.
"We are continually striving to better serve our students and our community," Reyes said. "As a result, we have outperformed many college and university programs across the state and nation."
To learn more about WT's nursing programs, contact Reyes at 806-651-2631 or hreyes@wtamu.edu.
-West Texas A&M University
